The tallest building in Singapore!

Posted by noelbynature under Buildings and Monuments
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No kidding. This landmark at the corner of Selegie and Bukit Timah Road once had the record of being the tallest building in Singapore. Of course, that was in 1924, and the record for tallest building has long since passed. What’s the name of this building?

Sources are scant, but the Ellison Building is named after ‘a Jewish lady named Ellison’ (that’s all the infopedia had to say). Back in its prime, the colonials used to sit on the roof to catch the races at race course road. Passing by it today, you won’t be able to find any colonials on the roof - but you would find a Colonial on the ground floor. A Colonial Bar, I mean. Sangsara gave the bar a visit, and also uncovers some of the history of the building:

The Colonial may be the oldest pub in Singapore you’ve never heard of. The historic structure in which it’s housed, the Ellison Building on the corner of Selegie and Bukit Timah roads, was the tallest in Singapore (only two storeys!) at the time of its completion in 1924. It takes its name from the Jewish lady for whom it was built; no first name turns up in a search, but a green iron grille over one doorway still reads “I. Ellison”. On Sundays, the two domed towers on its roof were used by British governors and their peers as vantage points from which the nearby race track could be observed.

Read more about the Colonial and the tallest building in Singapore (in 1924, at least) here.

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